Sometimes I think that most of us fail to understand that the APA is charged with securing the most favorable conditions for their own constituents. To do anything else would be a dereliction of their responsibilities to their own membership. Therefore, why should the APA be concerned with how this proposal might affect pilots on another seniority list represented by another union? They shouldn't be.
That said, however, make no mistake - this proposal, as written, is not a good one for Eagle pilots - contrary to what some of my mainline compatriots may think. This proposal, while labeled "It's time, One airline" is NOT a proposal for one airline. It is a proposal that maintains two airlines on the AMR property flown by pilots on one pseudo-list. I say pseudo-list because, while we may all have the same AA badges, and may all be on the same seniority list, in effect we will still be operating on two separate lists; and as proposed, pilots on the "mainline" side of the list will have disproportionate "rights" relative to their Eagle brethren on the same "list".
Here are some bullets I pulled right out of the proposal:
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• AA pilots on furlough would have access to all small jet
vacancies in the commuter supplement and commuter supplement
pilots could not access mainline vacancies until all furloughees
are recalled to the mainline.
• Commuter supplement pilots would gain the right to exercise
mainline seniority numbers when they upgrade to Captain.
• Company could hire into either commuter supplement or mainline
vacancies.
• Commuter supplement pilots would have access to mainline at
some agreed to ratio (specific number not determined). Assumes no
mainline pilot is furloughed.
• Mainline pilots would have the option of accepting a
displacement to the commuter supplement or a furlough in a down
cycle.
• Mainline pilots could only displace into commuter supplement
Captain positions. Only pilots displaced from commuter supplement
bid statuses would have recall rights into the commuter
supplement (except all current furloughees could recall into the
commuter supplement).
• Commuter supplement pilots cannot displace into mainline bid
statuses unless they had previously held any mainline bid status.
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The first bullet I agree with. I have no problem with that one as long as it applies only to the current batch of furloughees and any that may follow as a direct result of THIS downturn in the industry, not future downturns.
The third bullet, the "Company could hire into either commuter supplement or mainline", I have a problem with when some of the other bullet points are considered along with it. When one begins to think of some very plausible scenarios playing out, one sees that an interesting situation can develop. Let me illustrate: two pilots are hired by AMR at some future date. They are hired on the same day and are given consecutive AA seniority numbers - let’s just say # 14,000 and # 14,001 for discussion's sake. For whatever reason, pilot number 14,001 is sent to mainline and pilot number 14,000 is sent to the Commuter Supplement (as if a 1,300 nm range, mach .78, 50 pax small jet is a "commuter". But that's for a different discussion). Pilot number 14,001 immediately begins to enjoy all of the negotiated benefits of his mainline contract, including the superior pay, benefits and upward mobility associated with being able to bid various bases and equipment as seniority dictates. Meanwhile, pilot number 14,000 begins enjoying the benefits of his regional contract (albeit Comair's rates plus some premium), including the lower pay and more difficult working conditions, not to mention not being able to move on up to better paying larger equipment (there is no larger equipment).
Our pilot with AA seniority # 14,000 working at the Commuter Supplement will more than likely also spend many years at the commuter supplement, initially as a first officer and later as a captain. Only then would he "gain the right to exercise
(his) mainline seniority number when (he) upgrade(s) to Captain." However, once he qualifies as a captain, it will take him quite some time to make the transition over to the mainline - probably a few years - because "Commuter supplement pilots would have access to mainline at some agreed to ratio (specific number not determined)." What ratio would that be? One new pilot off the street directly into mainline for one transitioning "Commuter Supplement" pilot? Two for one? Three for one? Ten for one? It could be any ratio. Therefore, AA mainline would need to be actively hiring in order for Commuter Supplement captains to make the transition to mainline. The net effect to all of this will be very slow movement upward at the Commuter Supplement, leaving many pilots waiting years to qualify as captain and more years to transition over, all the while new pilots being hired off the street years later will be walking right into Mainline positions and enjoying the Mainline’s benefits.
It seems to be true, however that the proposal would allow the transitioning Commuter Supplement pilot to exercise his overall seniority once he arrives at the Mainline, but how many years of pay, benefits, and superior work rules would he have lost out on while awaiting his opportunity to transition over?
The good news continues if one reads the proposal further and considers some very possible scenarios. To quote, "Mainline pilots would have the option of accepting a displacement to the commuter supplement or a furlough in a down cycle." Let's look at this provision. Let's say that our intrepid pilot number 14,000, the Commuter Supplement pilot, has been working at the Commuter Supplement for a few years now and is fairly close to that elusive upgrade to captain. Meanwhile, many pilots, probably over a thousand, have been hired at the Mainline during that time, supposedly with seniority numbers junior to his, although he cannot yet exercise his number until he arrives at the Mainline. Eventually, the inevitable downturn hits the industry and furloughs begin. Guess where the furloughees - who are all probably junior to our intrepid Commuter Supplement pilot - are going to go. They are going to go to the Commuter Supplement as quoted above. However, these furloughed Mainline pilots, who, you will remember, are mostly junior to our Commuter Supplement pilot who is awaiting an upgrade to captain, will only furlough into Commuter Supplement CAPTAIN positions as per this next bullet point which I will quote: "Mainline pilots could only displace into commuter supplement Captain positions."
So here we will have a situation whereby a senior pilot with an AA number who has not yet been allowed to exercise his number will be stuck in the first officer's position at the Commuter Supplement while a much more junior pilot with an AA number who was hired directly into the mainline possibly years later will be flying as a captain, with all of the pay and benefits associated with that seat.
Additionally, when recalls finally happen, maybe years later, guess who gets recalled first. The more junior pilot who happens to be a Mainline furloughee - not the more senior pilot who happened to end up at the Commuter Supplement. Here is the quote: "...and commuter supplement pilots could not access mainline vacancies until all furloughees are recalled to the mainline." So our Commuter Supplement pilot, who has by now spent years in the right seat of a small jet, would still not be able to exercise his seniority.
So this proposal is NOT, in fact a "One Airline" proposal as the title of the letter sent to AA pilots states. It maintains the concept of two airlines and two workgroups working under one corporation. The proposal returns all flying on behalf of AMR to the APA house, as it should, but it does not create one seniority list (or one that is worthy of being called a single seniority list). This is because the provisions of the proposal are weighted heavily in favor of pilots, present and future, at the mainline as opposed to the pilots at the Commuter Supplement.
I have spoken with literally dozens of AA pilots in the past few months who've said to me, without me saying a word to prime them, that we, the pilots of AE and AA should form one list and that all pilots hired in the future should be placed on the BOTTOM of that list. This is what a true seniority list is. The brotherly attitude from the AA pilots has been very refreshing of late, so it has come as a great disappointment, and maybe a slight surprise to many of us that APA would put forth a proposal which is so heavily weighted to one side. This proposal does not give many of us, the Eagle pilots, the feeling of UNITY that APA seems to be so publicly espousing with it's flashy billboards.
